Step Dancing

by Cecelia Moore, 2006

Step dancing, or "soulstepping," is a form of competitive dance exhibition developed by African Americanfraternities and sororities in North Carolina and other southern states. The dances feature synchronized movements and percussive beats. Step dancing is a showcase for exhibiting a team's individual style and showing its unity. Its origins can be found in the traditions of competitive drill teams and marching bands and take their movement patterns from African and slave dances such as patting juba and ring shouts.

While the beginning of step dancing dates back to older fraternity rituals, the term "stepping" became popular in the 1980s. Popularized on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities, the informal shows evolved to public exhibitions, often used as fund-raisers for charitable causes. One of the most popular step shows, the East Coast Step Show, originated on the campus of North Carolina's Fayetteville State University in 1998. College step teams come from throughout the East and South to compete, with the prize money designated for the winning team's community projects.

In recent years, step dancing organizations in the United States have established cultural ties to the Gumboot dancers of South Africa through Step Afrika!, an organization that hosts an international festival each year in Soweto, South Africa.

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